The Temple of Ceres, distant view of the Temple, from south in the Temple of Neptune (originally erected in honor of Athena (originally erected in honor of Athena - also Minerva , the green-eyed goddess. In the 6C BC the temple is composed of 34 baseless Doric Columns. The deep vestibule had Ionic columns)

Paestum was an ancient Greek colony founded in the 6C under the name of Poseidon. The city was conquered by the Lucanians, a local tribe, around 400 BC. In 243 BC it was overtaken by the Romans but only began its decline towards the end of the Empire due to malaria. It's baseless Doric temples are significant in that their discovery in the mid 18C inspired the Greek Revival.